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| Stafford was sharp vs. the Giants last night. Photo Credit: USA Today |
The Jim Caldwell era in Detroit got off to a flying start as Matthew Stafford and crew put together a sharp offensive performance on their way to 35-14 win over the NY Giants on Monday night. Detroit took step one in what they hope will be a season they are able to take the next step as a franchise and accomplish some lofty goals.
By: Michael Hanley
The Lions got off to a red hot start on offense as they raced out to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter. Stafford and the offense were in rhythm from the first play, as the o-line gave him great protection, allowing him to survey and make his pinpoint accurate throws to the various weapons he has at his disposal.
The most lethal of those weapons being Calvin Johnson, who made his presence felt early and often as he had two TD catches to ignite his team and get them off to the fast start. Golden Tate, their acquisition from the Seahawks also was effective as he made some key catches to help Detroit sustain drives. Stafford finish 22/32 for 346 yards and two touchdowns.
The Lions defense, despite numerous injuries to their secondary, played a very solid game as they were able to lockup on the Giants wide receivers for the most part and get consistent pressure on Manning, forcing some errant throws.
As for the Giants, it was a mess of a game from both sides of the ball as they were unable to get any consistency going. The new offense that was installed this past off season still looks like a work in progress with allot of areas to tighten up. Eli Manning had multiple miscommunication with his wide receivers which cost himself and the team two interceptions that the Lions would turn into points. The running game never got in gear either as they repeatedly got stonewalled by the Lions defensive line. Manning finished 18/33 for 163 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions.
The Giants defense got torched repeatedly by the Lions wide receivers and running backs, as they gave up one big play after another. The secondary especially suffered a poor game as they could not get a handle on Johnson or Tate at all, as both got open windows to catch any ball thrown in their direction.
The Giants night was best summarized in one lay as Eli Manning was rolling out to his right and looking to pass to one of his two wide receivers on that side of the field. Unfortunately both were too busy blocking to notice Manning looking toward them to throw. It was resulted in an in completion and further sunk the Giants into their doldrums for the game.
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